


Perfect

by itsaquinnquinnsituation



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-28
Updated: 2013-11-28
Packaged: 2018-01-02 22:00:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1062117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsaquinnquinnsituation/pseuds/itsaquinnquinnsituation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because it's anything but easy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction, and all characters, real or based off real people, are not mine. This is for entertainment purposes only and I am not making any money off my work.
> 
> This is my universe and exactly how I see it. Writing should be enjoyed, not judged. 
> 
> This idea came into my head one day and I fell in love with it right away.

“Told ya, it’s a nice place! I used to bring my dates here back when we were in college. I mean I’m sure your boyfriend’s cooking would have been just as good, but you have to agree, this is pretty sweet... where is he by the way?”

“Well”- Lou looks at his wristwatch, - “It’s seven minutes to six, so he’ll be here soon.”

“Ungh” – Zayn leans back and partially covers his mouth looking off to the side:

“Not a lot of things have changed...”

“Here?”

“I mean in the city...”

“Well, maybe you should re-visit a few more of the places. You’ll be sure to see some new things” – Louis smiles. Zayn nods and smiles right back. Lou moves the salt and pepper shakers and the ketchup bottle into the middle of the table and neatly adjusts them. Next, he adjusts his collar.

“You’re nervous to introduce us?” – Zayn raises his eyebrows with a sneer, - “you’ve never cared about things like that before! Must be a ‘we’re past the two-years-mark’ thing.”

“Not at all, and Zayn, - I’d be more worried about yourself never achieving this milestone with you current track record...”

“Bullseye!” – Zayn makes a face and laughs, taking a sip of his water. Their waiter pops by their table again:

“You gentlemen ready to order?”

“Um...” – as Zayn leans back and looks from the waiter to Louis, Louis jumps in with a hasty:

“Sure!”

“But shouldn’t we wait for...” – Zayn starts again but Lou cuts him off:

“I can order for him, it’s no bother.”

“Okay” – Zayn shrugs and points in his menu, - “I’ll have the spicy chicken kebab if I may? Oh and for the sides, I’ll just take the French fries. Yup. Thank you.” – He passes the menu to the restaurant worker.

“And for me...” – Lou starts, quickly skimming the menu, - “I’ll get this chicken pesto thing, if that’s okay? Yeah, and can I get a refill of my Cola? Great, thanks, and for my boyfriend, here... well, he’s not here yet, but so for him, I’ll get.... now for these mini-burgers, how many of them are there?” – He bites his lip and lifts his face up to the waiter.

“Um five...?” – the waiter raises his eyes to the ceiling and squints, - “If I’m not mistaken? They are just these little versions of a...”

“Make that four, please” – Louis chimes in quickly, - “Just make it four, that will be enough. Tomato, onion and lettuce on the side please. And French fries are good. Yeah and...” – He hesitates for a moment, shooting a glance at Zayn, then looks back to the waiter and quickly adds, - “And can you please make sure that none of these things touch each other?”

“Excuse me?” – The waiter asks and gives Louis big eyes and Zayn stops gazing around to turn back to his friend in a snap.

“Yeah” – Louis winces without looking away, - “Can you please make sure that all of these... foods on his plate do not touch? Like the burgers don’t touch the fries, don’t touch the tomato, don’t touch the lettuce? Just keep them sep...”

“Oh sure, sure” – the waiter nods adamantly and Louis instantly relaxes, - “It’ll be just a few minutes, gentlemen.”

Once he’s done watching the waiter disappear into the middle of the restaurant, Louis hesitantly returns his eyes back to Zayn, but Zayn’s face is unreadable as he is leaning his arm on the table, chin cradled in his hand. 

“It’s a nice place” – Louis starts hesitantly and Zayn smiles:

“Yeah, I really should visit more often. Sucks that I’m living half-a-planet away.”

“Boston is not half-a-planet away!” – Louis laughs, - “How long did your flight take, five hours?”

“Seven!” – Zayn protests and smirks, - “But I had to transfer.”

“Oh...” – Louis gets ready to mock him but shuts up suddenly and freezes. Zayn turns around and immediately sees a tall lanky lad, standing shyly at the entrance of the restaurant.

“Oh.” – Zayn notes to no one in particular and look back to Louis, who nods, obviously at the lad, so Zayn turns back around.

The lad smiles at Louis, but looks down at the floor, before looking up again. Louis then, evidently, nods again, because the lad smiles shyly at Louis, so Zayn once more turns to Louis, whose face by now has acquired a slightly stressed out expression. Zayn then turns back to the bloke who has already started a slow, deliberate walk towards them, staring intently on the floor. Then, Zayn looks at the floor himself. It’s an ordinary black-and-white tiled floor so he lifts his eyes up again and, by then, the lad has already reached them and his face, still intent and stiff, has started to relax just a little.

“Harry, this is Zayn, my old college buddy”- Louis exhales, - “Zayn – Harry, my boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you” – Zayn volunteers first and offers his hand.

Harry bites his lips and shoots a quick glance to Lou, but does offer his hand back as well, although perhaps less eagerly than one would have expected. He smiles quite amicably though and looks back to Louis:

“I’ll just go wash....”

“Yep” – Louis does not let him finish and his boyfriend proceeds into the depth of the restaurant.

Louis turns back to Zayn with a forced smile.

“Very hot” – Zayn wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and Louis bursts out laughing.

They proceed to talk for a few more minutes until Zayn suddenly frowns:

“Well, where’s he disap...”

“Just in the restroom” – Louis does not let him finish and immediately looks to the side, - “Oh, is that our food?”

“That’s not even our waiter!” – Zayn notes with a snicker and turns back to Lou, - “Lou, is there something...”

“Oh, there it is!” – Louis exclaims, all but pointing at *their* waiter, who is following his co-worker with a big tray of plates. As the waiter is busying himself setting out their plates, none of them notices Harry come back and quietly take his place next to Louis. As the waiter is leaving to fetch Louis’s drink and an extra glass of water, Zayn notices Harry starting to reach for what he can only assume are his pockets.

“Harry, please” – Lou says quietly, not even looking and Harry stops dead in his tracks, eyes big, - “It’s fine, just use the... it’s fine” – with that Louis slightly pushes the napkin-wrapped silverware closer to his boyfriend. 

Harry blinks, still looking at Louis, but as his boyfriend is not saying anything else, Harry bites his lip again, slowly and gingerly unwraps the silverware, and, placing the napkin in his lap, just as slowly arranges it around his plate. Zayn’s eyes get big as Louis follows his stare to Harry’s hands. They are red and raw.

Louis begins the conversation with Zayn again, and Zayn does engage, but it is far too obvious that for him, watching Harry attempt to eat the bits of his food without them touching other food on his plate is almost as equally entertaining. Just as Harry expands his chest to sigh, Louis prods him lightly and whispers:

“Just eat your fries.”

Harry’s sigh ends up being one of relief and makes Zayn smile, but Louis frowns and starts talking again. Zayn is still watching Harry, however, and by now Harry has spread out his fries as much as he could and is looking at Louis with a helpless expression adorning his face. Finally, Louis catches on and follows Harry’s eyes as he uses them to point silently at his plate.

“Right” – Louis says, takes off one fry, and places it on his own plate, turning right back to Zayn. Harry promptly begins eating.

“What was that?” – Zayn is finally unable to hold it in, - “That just now...”

“He doesn’t like odd numbers” – Louis snaps, - “You really have to...”

“You counted them?” – Zayn is staring at Harry’s face.

“Yeah” – Harry nods with an innocent smile, all the meanwhile Louis is frozen, awash with a mix of annoyance and frustration, - “There were nineteen... I always do. Well, whenever I can...”

“Do you...” – Zayn starts but noticing that Louis’ face is sporting pale and bright red splotches in various places, shuts up and begins to devour his food. They spend most of the remainder of the dinner in silence. 

“Anyone for dessert?” – Zayn asks eventually, reaching for the menu.

“No!” – Louis responds hastily and starts turning around, - “I think we better get the check and go” - He catches the waiter’s attention and gives him a signal.

Meanwhile, Zayn looks at Harry, but Harry just gives him the same soft shy smile. Lou turns around and fixes his stare on the table. The waiter comes by with the check and Harry promptly gets out his iPhone.

“Harry, please!” – Louis can barely contain himself as he whips out his wallet, - “I’ll get this. For everyone. And could you just go wait in the car? I won’t be too long!”

Harry slowly puts the phone away, folds his napkin neatly in quarters, and gets up. As Louis is not looking, Harry nods at Zayn, mouthing ‘bye’ and Zayn does the same, automatically, and, with his eyebrows up and his eyes open wide, he watches Harry hastily proceed out of the restaurant, trying his best to fit his big feet only in the white diamonds of the tiles. It is with the same expression that Zayn turns back to Louis who is already putting some bills on the table. 

“That’s... that’s for real?”

“If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say it!” – Louis warns, eyes narrowed.

“No, no, I just... it’s just...”

“This is why we try not to go out, Zayn” – Louis hisses, - “That’s why I tried to get you to come to ours instead.”

“No, no I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I’ll see you, Zayn” – Louis says coldly, nods, and walks out of the restaurant. Zayn remains standing there with a puzzled expression. 

The cool air hits him and Louis swears and, quickly spotting his and Harry’s car, makes a bee-line for it. He gets into the passenger seat huffing, but as he turns to look at Harry, he instantly deflates. Harry is not being obvious at all, Harry, in fact, is being very subtle, but even so, his moist red eyes are impossible to miss even as he is staring straight ahead. Louis starts to reach out for him, but before he has a chance to say anything, Harry starts with:

“Sorry about this. I really shouldn’t have come.”

“No”- Louis says immediately, turns away, turns back to him, shakes his head and places his hand on his chest, - “No, *I* should be sorry. I... I made a mountain out of a molehill. I... really screwed up just now.”

Harry turns to him and sniffs.

“Yeah” – Louis nods and looks around the car, - “I went completely over the top... Look, I just hope you don’t think you embarrass me. There’s nothing for you to be embarrassed of, except for your stupid boyfriend. It’s just... I was overthinking it, Harry, but it’s just that sometimes Zayn can be a bit of a di.... I mean, really, I was just worried that he might... Harry, I only wanted to protect you!”

“Hmnhgh I know” – Harry nods and looks down, - “That’s why I’m not upset with you at all, Lou, it’s just that...” – he shakes his head, struggling with words, - “You know how I wish I could stop it. But it’s just... some things, you know? Some things... I just have to have them... they just have to be.... just so.... you know, just...”

“Just the way you are” – Louis finishes for him quietly.

“What?” – Harry lifts up his eyes.

“Some things” – Louis repeats it in a quiet voice, - “You have to have them just the way you are”, - he smiles wistfully, - “Perfect.”


End file.
